Bwog sat down with the creators of the Instagram page @weloveprezbae, a fan account for Barnard President Sian Beilock.

Seven Barnard first-years sat down with Bwog to discuss a passion project currently making a splash at the College on a Hilltop: a fan page for President Sian Beilock. Their Instagram account @weloveprezbae has gained a cult following within the Barnard community after garnering over a thousand views on a “fancam” posted September 2. The fancam features smash cut video clips of President Beilock overlaid with glittering filters and a remix of Nicki Minaj’s “Good Form.” Reactions noted in the page’s comment sections have ranged from “i luv her” to “I am no longer a well woman.”

The admins, who requested to remain anonymous, assigned themselves the following code names: PrezBae 1, PrezBae 2, PrezBae 3, PrezBae 4, PrezBae 5, PrezBae 6, and Sneakerpreacher. 

How many admins are there and how do you all know each other?

PrezBae 6: There are seven admins of varying involvements: PrezBaes 1–3 met in an NSOP group; PrezBae 1 and Sneakerpreacher are roommates; PrezBae 2 and 6 are roommates; PrezBaes 3 and 5 are roommates; and PrezBaes 1–3 met PrezBae4 during a fire safety workshop while discussing a Trader Joe’s excursion.

What was the inspiration behind this account? When did you decide to create it?

Sneakerpreacher: The inspiration for this account came from PrezBae 1 and I creating a nickname for President Beilock inspired by the nickname for the Columbia president, PresBo. The account came to fruition on the fourth day of NSOP during dinner at Hewitt. PrezBae 2 immediately created the account.

Please describe your creative process.

PrezBae 1: I used to run a BTS fancam account. I am the sole creator of the fancams. The process is very simple: I screen-record clips of PrezBae from YouTube, and then combine the clips in Cute Cut Pro, which was 6 dollars. I think that shows my dedication. 

PrezBae 2: We cater our posts to Barnard’s interests. For example, Nicki Minaj, Phoebe Bridgers, and an undying love of academic excellence. We really follow the zeitgeist of today, taking inspiration and often mimicking the format and essence of current meme culture. The creative process for posts is often random and sporadic, but not lacking passion, thought, and heart.

Can fans expect more content soon? Will you ever expand beyond Instagram?

PrezBae 1: Yes, things are always in the works. As long as PrezBae is here, we will be. As far as expanding, we believe that our content works especially well on Instagram. Perhaps there will be room for expansion in the future.

Do you take DM submissions?

PrezBae 3: Yes, we have in the past. We believe it creates a bond between creator and consumer. We would love to see more of it. If the submission is extremely immaculate, it will be posted on the main page, otherwise, it will stay on the story. We also only take submissions that are respectful of PrezBae, meaning they do not objectify her.

How has the Barnard community been receiving your content? 

PrezBae 3: We have been thrilled by the Barnard community response, and we are especially proud of our Barnard freshmen support, which we wholeheartedly believe reflects the freshmen’s excitement on this new campus. We find it especially amusing when we overhear Barnard students (especially upperclassmen) discussing the account in our presence, though it does make it tempting to break anonymity.

Do you have a favorite post from the account? Why is it your favorite?

PrezBae1: Our favorite post has to be the original “PrezBae is a barb” fancam. We can no longer hear the words “my name is Sian Beilock” without absolutely dying. We have talked about this fancam in public so many times, it’s surprising that we have not given ourselves away. The fancam is what really started the growth of our account.

Any final messages for the fans?

All: Keep on PrezBae-ing on, and follow the account.

President Beilock via “Introducing President Sian Beilock” on Barnard’s YouTube

PrezBae fancam via @weloveprezbae Instagram